Paris Saint-Germain may be the reigning Champions League winner, but former United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller believes Bayern Munich and Barcelona are among the clubs best equipped to prevent another PSG triumph.
Keller, who played professionally in Germany for Borussia Mönchengladbach and has extensive experience across Europe’s top leagues, pointed to one potential obstacle Bayern Munich faces: the relative lack of weekly competition in the Bundesliga.
“Bayern or Barcelona I would say [are best-placed to stop PSG winning Champions League again]. One of the difficult things for Bayern is they are so good in the Bundesliga. I’d love to see them be pushed a little more week in week out, that when they get to those big Champions League games, it’s not a step up. But Kompany has done a tremendous job obviously,” Keller told Casinostugan. “So yeah, I can’t say enough about them. First of all Bayern is an institution. If you’re just a British soccer fan and you like your team, and you want to say, it’s a short flight and go to Munich for the weekend and see them play a match, you will go around and say ‘oh my god, this is insane’. Allianz Arena and Bayern is a level unto itself. I was fortunate to play the first match there, so yeah that was pretty cool.”
Keller has firsthand experience of Bayern Munich’s environment, having played against the club at both the old Olympic Stadium and the Allianz Arena.
His comments also highlight the unique challenge Bayern Munich faces in preparing for Champions League knockout matches. The club can dominate domestically while still having to make a significant jump in intensity when facing Europe’s elite.
Keller clearly believes Kompany has Bayern Munich moving in the right direction. With Harry Kane leading the attack and a squad built to compete on multiple fronts, Bayern Munich will again have the opportunity to prove whether it can turn domestic dominance into another deep Champions League run.
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